Mr. Toby Leikness has served on the Frisco High School staff as the Color Guard Director for twenty-two years. Throughout the years, he has become one of the most well-known teachers at FHS.

Prior to his job as a Color Guard instructor, he marched in Drum Corps International, or DCI, as a member of the Madison Scouts Color Guard. While he was only able to perform with the corps for a few years, he then went on to be an instructor for different corps across the country. Leikness taught and choreographed field shows for many famed guards for a decade.

In 2000, he came to FHS to teach and was able to build the Color Guard organization from the ground up. After all these years, he remains an inspiration and motivating factor to current color guard members.

According to Color Guard senior vet Keren Muthike, “He’s very supportive when you want to learn something new,” she said, “and he’s good at making you feel good about yourself.” For Keren, Mr. Leikness has built up her confidence in discovering new skills and becoming proficient and comfortable while performing.

“He’s helped me develop new skills in equipment that I never learned in middle school,” said Color Guard senior Anushka Shah. “He made me enjoy something I never thought I would. The endless opportunities he’s given us have helped me develop my passion for guard and also dance”.

While Anushka had the benefit of having a Color Guard program in middle school, Mr. Leikness has been there for her to help develop the skills she was never able to learn, while also giving her the opportunity to be a part of a community where she belongs.

Toby Leikness is an inspiration for a number of reasons, and he’s left a permanent legacy as a member of the FHS staff.